Eggshell, Bean peel, Coffee pulp

Atelier Barb Bio Composite Collection

Aterlier Barb aims to move away from linear economy production methods and close the loop.

It began when they saw the potential of kidney bean peels as a material which should not be considered waste. How could such a beautiful, robust and unique material that nature gave us could be thrown away? Atelier Barb is exploring how to process kidney bean waste in different ways and eventually to produce new products. The name 'Barb' is the abbreviation of Barbunya (Kidney bean in Turkish), which gave the atelier its inspiration.

Moving away from current industrial production methods that are harmful. They aim to use what nature has provided, producing materials that are fully functional, unique, timeless and most importantly recyclable.

Atelier Barb likens a human day to a whole cycle and reflects the same analogy to its product and material range. During a day cycle, the behaviours performed by individuals are taken into account and the objects of daily life required during these actions are determined. In this way, Atelier Barb aims to complement people's days with its 100% sustainable and recyclable products. During the construction of Barb Eggware and Barb Composite, the products we use in our daily lives were taken into consideration. The products composed of these materials are determined as egg containers, lighting elements, stools, tabletop organisers, pocket mirrors and similar lifestyle products.

Making process

Since Atelier Barb was founded by industrial designers, it has a perspective that embraces the design thinking approach at every step of its development. Before the material is designed, the products being made undergo a long and versatile design process. This inductive design approach includes not only the product that is currently in progress but also other projects that Atelier Barb will design and implement in the future. The design and impact model is created with the aim of creating a direct social and environmental impact on products and services. After designing the product, field research is carried out on the most sustainable material to be used in the design and then on the wastes that contribute to the circular economy. Providing waste locally is the first priority of this research.

Atelier Barb is currently a home lab and process after the waste collection takes place in this lab. Eggshells broken off during production and separated as waste are collected from local egg producers. Kidney bean peels are obtained from frozen food producers and people making homemade canned food. Coffee grounds are collected from local cafes and households. They are then dried and subjected to a baking process to purify them from bacteria. Lastly, they are combined with a plant-based bio binder developed by Atelier Barb and moulded with reusable moulds. The products are finalised by manual procedure.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.